A calibration made on the wrong monitor or under unusual room lighting may be a poor match for everyday viewing. Decide which HDR display you want to adjust and reproduce the conditions in which you normally use it.

Write down the display model, its current picture mode and the connection being used. Keep a familiar HDR scene available for comparison, ideally one with visible detail in both dark and bright areas. Avoid changing the cable, picture mode and calibration together.

Establish the supported calibration conditions

Windows HDR Calibration requires Windows 11, an HDR-capable display with HDR enabled, compatible graphics and drivers, and full-screen operation. Check Microsoft's listed hardware requirements. A built-in screen supporting only streamed HDR video uses the separate HDR-video calibration route in Display settings.

Install the Windows HDR Calibration app from the Microsoft Store. With several monitors connected, place the app on the intended HDR display. Use your normal room lighting. Microsoft warns that a display's own post-processing effects can interfere; inspect its documented picture controls and note any change you make.

Follow the app's three patterns, moving each slider until its pattern is no longer visible. Adjust colour saturation conservatively and complete the guided calibration. Microsoft notes that a large saturation increase can make the picture look unnatural, while before-and-after images may sometimes appear similar.

Compare useful detail rather than maximum vividness

Return to the familiar HDR scene. Check whether the important shadow details and bright features remain distinguishable. Also inspect ordinary desktop content under the intended HDR arrangement. A striking colour change alone is not evidence of a more useful result.

Keep the room conditions and monitor controls steady during this comparison. If you dislike the result, record which part changed before revising it; repeated slider adjustments without a reference make the outcome difficult to assess.

Retain a note identifying the display and picture mode used for the profile. Microsoft recommends running the app again after a display-setup change. Treat a replacement screen or a materially different viewing arrangement as a reason to revisit the calibration, rather than assuming an earlier profile describes every future setup.

Sources: Microsoft Windows HDR Calibration.